R&R Insurance Blog

Although it may not feel like it now, summer is just around the corner. Before we know it school will be out, vacations will be planned, and boats will be hitting the water. Whether you are a new boat owner or you have had one for years, it’s important to refresh your memory with boat safety before heading out on the lake. Our friends at West Bend Mutual provided these simple safety tips for boating this summer:

1. Read your owner’s manual and understand the various on-board warnings located on your boat.
2. Wear a life jacket. While this sounds like common sense, the excitement of riding in a boat may take your focus off safety. A life jacket is like a seatbelt. It should be worn at all times because it can increase your chances of survival if there’s an accident.
3. Stock your boat. Make sure you have an appropriate life jacket for each person onboard. An adult life jacket is not appropriate for children. In addition, if you plan to be on the lake for the day, make sure you have plenty of water, sunscreen, medications, and snacks. Lastly, make sure you have a fire extinguisher, flares, maps, and communication devices in case you run into trouble. Here is a great video resource for the proper safety items to have onboard.
4. Bring a back-up. If you’re boating with friends or family, make sure somebody other than the driver is familiar with the boat. It’s not a safe idea for one adult to take a boat full of children out tubing. If the primary driver is injured or unable to navigate, it’s vital that a passenger is also familiar with the boat and can get you back to land safely.
5. Keep an eye on the weather. Summer weather can change quickly. Pay attention to your local forecast and consider signing up for weather alerts that can be sent to your Smartphone.
6. Be aware of your surroundings. Depending on the time of the year, boat traffic can be heavy on the lake. Make sure you always keep a close eye on what’s happening around you. If pulling a tube or skier behind your boat, always have a spotter to alert you of issues.

Taking a Boating Safety Course is another great way to ensure you have the most up-to-date information to protect you and your family. Visit your local DNR website for additional information. http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/boat/

If you haven't evaluated the value of your boat this season, contact your knowledge broker. We can ensure you have the proper coverage to get you through your summer on the water!

With the launch of Apple’s new high-tech watch, many people are placing orders and anxiously awaiting the arrival of their new gadgets in April. While all of the hype is centered on what the watch can do (which seems to be just about everything), it’s important to consider how you’ll protect this pricey new possession as well.

Most homeowner’s policies limit coverage for personal valuables such as jewelry. Unless your property is scheduled, or specifically itemized with a value on your policy, your home deductible will apply to a loss. Many people choose higher deductibles to reduce their premiums. If you’re one of them, it’s possible you may not receive a payment if your deductible is more than the amount of the loss. However, with broadened property coverage a $10,000 watch would cost around $85/year.

Whether you have questions about insuring your new Apple Watch or a piece of fine jewelry, contact our knowledge brokers for more information.

When going on a long road trip, your car will suffer some inevitable wear and tear. Before leaving, it's important to prep your car by doing the following:

• Check your tires for air pressure, tread, and general wear down. Tires are the most common cause of vehicle failure. While you can’t do anything about getting a flat tire, you can make sure your tires are safe to drive on. Have your mechanic check to see if your tires need to be balanced or rotated as well.

• Check your brakes. Take note of when the manufacturer recommends getting the brake pads changed. Also have your mechanic check out your brake fluid. If it needs to be changed, be sure to get the brake line flushed, cleaned and filled with new fluid.

• Get your suspension checked out. Shocks and struts can be expensive, but if you need new ones you will definitely feel the difference in your trip!

• The second most popular cause of vehicular failure is the cooling system. Having this inspected and cleaned will not only identify any leaky or weakened hoses, it is also a very inexpensive type of maintenance.

• You should definitely be having a mechanic look under the hood of your car before you go on a long road trip. Items to inspect include:
  • Your transmission. This is a serious and expensive part of your car, and can be very time consuming to get fixed. You don’t want to spend your vacation in the waiting room of a mechanic!
  • Check all belts for wear and tear. Failed belts are at best an inconvenience and could stop your entire road trip.
  • The exhaust system should also be checked out. If there are any leaks or holes in the system, it could be putting you and your passengers at risk.

• Finally, you should do any routine maintenance that you may have been putting off. Oil changes, filling the windshield washer fluid, and replacing the windshield wipers are all important aspects of your car that you may need during your trip.

Hopefully this list will help you prepare for your Spring Break extravaganza. Have a safe trip!

Buying a new home for the first time can be a very scary experience if you don’t know how to prepare yourself for some of the difficult issues that can come up during the process. If you are thinking of buying a new home asking yourself these 7 questions can be a good way to avoid speed bumps further along in the process:

1. How is my current credit score?
Credit score can be a big factor in whether or not you have the ability to purchase a home. If you do not have a good credit score, it will be more difficult to receive a loan for your new home.

See also: How to Raise your Credit Score 100 Points in 45 Days

2. What does my savings account currently look like?
You should always have a considerable amount of savings put aside for home emergencies when you are a home owner. These funds should be reserved for emergency home fixes, such as a broken water heater, or a flooded basement.

3. Have I considered all of the costs that come with purchasing a home?
There are many additional costs that come with purchasing a home. In addition to your mortgage payments and taxes on your home, you should account about 1-4% of your home’s value for maintenance each year.

4. How secure do I feel in my current job?
Because of the added costs I mentioned above, you should get into a stable and secure career before purchasing a home. A loss of income could mean foreclosure on your home in this economy. You should also ask yourself: how will I pay my mortgage if I lose my job?

5. Am I committed to the location and surrounding area that the home is located in?
If you don’t like the location of your home and the surrounding area, you won’ t feel strongly tied to the home. Check out the surrounding school systems if you plan on having children. Try the local restaurants and see which stores and attractions are nearby. Checking this out before you purchase a home can have a large impact on which home you ultimately decide to purchase.

6. How long do I plan on living in the home?
Purchasing a home should be considered a long-term investment. If you are looking to live in one place for only a few years, home buying may not be the best option for you. Typically, a homeowner should stay in their home for at least five to seven years before reselling the home. When thinking about this question take into consideration the following:

• Will I be changing jobs anytime soon?
• Do I want to start a family, and how big do I want that family to be?
• Am I going to get married (or divorced)?
• What other types of unknowns may occur within the next 5-10 years?

7. Am I mentally prepared to be a homeowner?
There are additional factors to consider other than just the financial aspect of buying a house. You should be emotionally as well as financially invested in purchasing a home. If your heart isn't in it, it may not be the right time to buy. Owning a home is akin to being in a “long-term relationship” that has no easy way out. It will be a painful and drawn out process to resell the home once you have purchased it, so make sure you are ready for the long term commitment.

So now you're ready to purchase your home? Congratulations! (Don't forget to speak to your knowledgebroker about having the proper insurance coverage!)

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About the author: Lauren is an R&R Insurance intern learning about the insurance industry through sales and service experiences.

There comes a time when we all have to buy a used car, and it seems that every used car comes with baggage. That being said, you should always thoroughly inspect a used car that you intend to buy. There are 6 major aspects of a used car that are important to inspect, both inside and outside the car.

Before you get in the car, take a look at:

1. The Tires
New tires can be expensive, so you should check to make sure that there is no unusual wear and tear on the tires. Inquire to the seller when was the last time they replaced the tires. You can also double check this by looking at the miles to see if they match the wear on the tires. For example, if the car has low miles, but the tires are very worn down, it could indicate that the tires came from another car or the odometer is incorrect. Neither of these situations is ideal.

2. The Paint Job
The main thing you should be looking for is rust. Rust is fairly easy to spot if you look closely for it. Also look for waves or ripples in the paint, this should indicate that a paint job was done on the car. Another giveaway that a paint job was done is sticky residue from paint tape where the body panels meet. If there appears to be a paint job done, you should ask the owner why there was a paint job done. The car could have been in an accident.

3. Under the Hood
There are three things under the hood that you should be checking when buying a used car. First, check the engine to make sure that there are no cracks or leaks anywhere. Next, check all fluids in the car using by checking the dipsticks. You should also ask the seller when they last refilled their fluids/got an oil change. Finally, you should check that all of the hoses and belts are in good condition. This means making sure that there are no cracks in the rubber or that the hose is not too soft.

Get behind the wheel and take a look at:

4. The Dashboard
Check over the dashboard to make sure that no engine lights or other problematic lights come on. If there are lights flashing on the dashboard, ask the seller about them. Also check out the odometer. You shouldn’t buy a used car with too many miles, or you will end up putting even more money into fixing the car. However, if you are looking for a very cheap car and there is nothing initially wrong with the car, high miles on a car may not be of concern to you.

5. The Mechanics
Make sure all the “extras” in the car work. This means checking the lights, windshield wipers, the windshield wiper fluid, air conditioning, etc. works in the car. The brake lights and head lights are especially important to check, as they could be a safety hazard if not working properly. Air conditioning and heat may not be a priority for some buyers, but you may need these things to de-fog or de-frost your windshield during those cold Wisconsin mornings. The windshield wipers and windshield fluid is very important because they are a safety hazard if they do not work. It will be difficult to drive your car through a thunderstorm without them!

6. The Brakes
This is the most important aspect about the interior of the car to check. Ask the seller if you can test drive the car to test the brakes. Chances are if they say no to a test drive, you don’t want to be buying this car anyways. Check to make sure the regular brakes and the emergency brake works also. No, this doesn’t mean you can drift a car while on a test drive. Try parking on a hill and engage the emergency brake.

If you check all 6 of these things when buying a used car you should definitely still bring the car to a mechanic to check over the vehicle. Sometimes it takes an expert’s eye to catch something that may be wrong with the car. Take the car to a mechanic that you can trust. Happy used car shopping!

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About the author: Lauren is an R&R Insurance intern learning about the insurance industry through sales and service experiences.

Transportation has changed quite a bit in the past decade, particularly in the taxi industry. With the rising prices of taxis and other public transportation, rideshare services like Lyft, Uber, and Sidecar have changed the transportation industry. Unfortunately, any changes in the transportation can also mean new dangers for passengers.

Ridesharing is a convenient service where drivers that live in a certain geographical area will drive their own cars to pick up clients. Clients use the company’s app to request a driver to their location. The drivers will then get a notification on their cell phones telling them when and where to pick up the client. These drivers originally used their own insurance for their vehicles because the vehicles were primarily for personal use.

This became a serious problem for both the drivers and the clients they were picking up. Personal auto insurance has an exclusion of coverage for any delivery that a vehicle is making. This means that when a driver is giving someone a ride for any type of profit, their vehicle is not covered by their personal insurance. If a driver were to get in an accident with a client in the vehicle the driver is susceptible to a lawsuit, and there is no coverage for any medical expenses from the accident. Accidents were happening quite frequently due to the fact that many drivers were using cell phones while driving to get notifications for clients. (See related article: Distracted Driving Causes 8,000 Accidents Every Single Day!)

Only recently did certain companies require commercial vehicle insurance for drivers. There are also some states that require this as well, though not all states require this.

If you are considering using any rideshare company for transportation, be sure to check on the following things:

1. Make sure the company requires its drivers to have commercial vehicle insurance.
2. Tell the driver when you get in that you do not condone driving and cell phone use at the same time. The driver should not be on his or her phone while you are in the car.

If you are thinking of becoming a Rideshare driver, check with your potential employer on the following aspects of your job:

1. What kind insurance, if any, do they provide for their drivers?
2. If you need a certain type of insurance, where can you get the insurance from?
3. What are the specifications needed for the insurance?

If you verify all of these questions with the company or your driver, you can get to where you need to go, save money, and stay safe!

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About the author: Lauren is an R&R Insurance intern learning about the insurance industry through sales and service experiences.

According to Forbes, every 34 seconds, a child under the age of 13 is involved in a crash and more than a third of children killed in crashes were not in car seats or wearing seat belts. Car seats, car restraints, and seat belts are required by law in the state of Wisconsin.

What you need to know about car seats:

1. Car Seats have an expiration date. Usually 5-6 years from the date it was manufactured unless stated otherwise. Manufactured dates can be found on a label usually on the underside or back of the car seat. Sometimes, do not use after dates are printed into the plastic of the seats.
2. Car seats are only crash tested once. So, if your car seat has been in use during a crash, you should replace the car seat for the safety of your child.
3. It's important to turn in your car seat's warranty card because this will allow the car seat manufacturer to notify you if there are any recalls or other problems with the car seat you own. You can verify your car seat was not recalled by going to the Seat Check Website http://www.seatcheck.org

For more information you can check out one of these sites:

• Safe Kids Worldwide Website http://www.safekids.org
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Website http://www.nhtsa.gov
• Seat Check Website http://www.seatcheck.org
• Online Sunshine http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/

According to CNN, identity fraud hits a new victim every two seconds.

A new report from Javelin Strategy & Research has also found that the number of identity fraud victims jumped to 13.1 million in 2013, an increase of 500,000 from 2012. There is no denying that Americans today are at an increasingly high risk of having their identity stolen. When you add data breaches into the mix, like the ones involving Target and Home Depot, taking appropriate measures to protect your identity has become a critical part of securing your financial future.

Not sure where to start? Here are a few of our favorite tips on how to avoid identity theft:

• Pay attention to security breach notifications.
• Watch your credit cards and bank accounts.
• Don't give out your social security number unless it's a must!
• Keep your anti-virus software up to date on all devices --don't forget your phone!
• Put a password on your phone & computer and make it a strong one. Mix up the letters and numbers and make it difficult! It may be inconvenient initially but it takes victims about 30 hours and $500 to resolve identity fraud.
• Be careful what you're telling your "friends" on social media websites and who the information is available to! Scammers could be reading when you're going on vacation or collecting your personal data (dates of births, mother's maiden names, addresses etc.)
• Be careful what personal information you store on your devices and if you can -- don't store it.
• Leave your un-needed credit cards, social security card, birth certificate, and passport at home.
• Make sure you know who is on the other end of a call when you're giving out your personal information before you give it out.
• Where there's smoke - there's fire; if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is a scam.

See also 5 Lessons Learned from the Home Depot Data Breach

Still feeling unsettled? Ask your knowledgebroker about how to add Identity Theft Protection to your personal insurance policy.

With winter fast approaching, there are so many things to do to prepare for the holiday season. Many common preparations, if overlooked, can be dangerous for you and your home. If you are in denial that winter is coming, such as I am, here are some easy to remember tips that will ease you into the winter spirit for keeping your home safe and warm this winter.

For outside your home:

1. Inspect your roof

Climb up on that ladder and check out your roof! Look for any damaged shingles, weak spots, or possible leaks. If your roof is over 10 years old, any of these things could cause a problem for you during the winter. Heavy snows, melting snow, and freezing could cause a number of problems with your roof. If you have to do any repairs, I highly recommend you spend a little money now, to save a lot of money later.

See also: How to Prevent Ice Dams

2. While you’re up there—check out your gutters!

Clear out your gutters of leaves and debris. These items can get stuck in your gutters and cause major blockages, which could lead to roof and water damage. Check the gutters for any leaks that could lead to dangerous ice and icicle buildups. It is also recommended that you add extensions to your downspouts that lead away from the foundation. This could prevent any freezing of drainage water at your foundation, and therefore prevent further damage in the future.

3. Additional outdoor tips

• Mulch leaves into your lawn instead of raking them- this helps to nourish and maintain your fantastic-looking lawn even when it is covering by snow.
• Turn off all outside water faucets- this can help prevent freezing of these water sources, and could prevent bursting of pipes during those deep-freezes.
• Drain any lawn irrigation or sprinkler systems- this will save you the trouble of thawing out your sprinkler system in the spring!

For inside your home:

4. Reverse your ceiling fans

Don’t give me that look like I am nuts, this actually helps keep your house warmer! If you are looking up at the fan, during the winter it should be rotating clockwise. This way, the fan will push down heated air that has risen to the ceiling. This could also even allow you to turn down the thermostat a few degrees, which could save you some money!

5. Check all windows and doors for drafts

Keep the chills away and outside by sealing off any drafts in your windows and underneath doors. Any drafts you do find can be sealed off using caulk or storm windows on the windows, and draft stoppers at the bottom of doors. This could also save you money, as it should keep your house warmer as well!

6. Clean out your chimney

Before you make any fires this chilly holiday season, make sure that all of your chimney vents and passageways are clean and free of any blockages or soot buildup. This can help to prevent chimney fires and Carbon Monoxide leaks. (Speaking of Carbon Monoxide leaks; if you don’t already have one, invest in a Carbon Monoxide detector!)

Equipment maintenance—keeping you and your tools warm and operating:

7. Schedule a furnace inspection

Have a professional come and take a look at your furnace. Get the furnace cleaned and inspected to ensure that it will work properly throughout the winter. Stock up on furnace filters and replace the filter monthly. This will ensure maximum performance of your furnace through the coldest of winter days. Also, as a precaution, remove any flammable substances or fabrics away from the furnace, just in case!

8. Prepare with weather-specific equipment

At the end of your lawn-care days for the year, drain the gas tanks of lawn mowers, weed whackers, and other gardening or lawn equipment. This will prevent the freezing of the gas over the winter, which could lead to irreparable damage when the winter is over. Make sure to service or replace any snow removal equipment. This includes snow blowers, shovels, ice-melt, sand, and ice scrapers. This will ensure you are ready to take on the snow with a vengeance until the summer months return. Don’t wait until the last minute to do this, as these items seem to disappear out of any and all stores after the first snow storm of the year.

See also: How to Avoid Snow Blower Injuries & When Was Your Last Furnace Tune-Up

9. Check and change batteries in all smoke detectors

According to the National Fire Protection Association, almost two-thirds of home fire deaths are a result of fires in homes with inoperable smoke alarms, or no smoke alarms are present. Be sure to change or check the batteries in your smoke detectors (you might as well check those Carbon Monoxide detectors I mentioned earlier, too!). Do this at least twice per year. I would recommend doing this now, while you are preparing for fall and winter, and again when doing your spring cleaning.

All of these tips can help you conquer the winter with no problems! So after this list is done, bundle up, keep warm, and wait out the winter until spring gets here!

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About the author: Lauren is an R&R Insurance intern learning about the insurance industry through sales and service experiences.

Most homeowners policies limit coverage for personal valuables, and you could fall far short of replacement value if your item is lost or stolen. In order to avoid a gap in coverage, you need to add a low-cost insurance rider to protect jewelry and other valuables.

A Basic Homeowners Insurance policy generally covers your possessions for up to 50% of your total coverage. So if you insure your home for $300,000, your home furnishings and personal property would be insured for as much as $150,000.

However most policies place limits on specific kinds of items — promising to pay a maximum of approximately $1,500 to $2,500 for all of your jewelry in the event of damage or theft. Other categories that usually have reimbursement limits include silver flatware, firearms, coins, stamps and furs. (Read the “contents and additional coverage” section of your policy for the details.) Accidental loss is generally not covered if the item is not scheduled.

To raise your coverage limit for your valuables and ensure that you’re protected in case of loss as well as theft, you will need to add a rider or “schedule” the item. (You may need a written appraisal, although a detailed receipt may suffice.) Once you set a value and schedule the item, you’re covered for the full amount if it is lost, stolen or destroyed. Scheduling your jewelry, collectibles and fine art will make the claims experience a lot easier. Plus, there’s no deductible for scheduled items. So if you lose your engagement ring without having it “scheduled”, you’re not out of luck.

Scheduling your jewelry is inexpensive. Average costs are around 85 cents per $100 of coverage for jewelry kept at home and 35 cents per $100 for items kept in a vault. (Actual prices vary by company and geographical location.) Revisit your coverage levels frequently. We recommend that if you do schedule items on your policy, that you periodically get them reappraised to ensure a proper and up to date value. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to have the jeweler check for loose or damaged settings and stones at the time the item is reappraised.

Here's some help on finding an appraiser:
How to Choose a Professional Jewelry Appraiser